Clutch and brake mechanism



Jan. 28, 1941.

.R. e, LE TouRNEAu 2,229,754 cw'rcu m BRAKE uacnmsu r v 7 Filed July 12, 1939 i 2 Sheets-Sheet z 1 Z I i 35 29 s5 7 INVENTOR 0 R. G. Lc7burneau Patented Jan. 28, 1941 y UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CLUTCH AND BRAKE MECHANISM Robert G. Le Tourneau, Peoria, 111., assignor to R. G. Le Tourneau, Inc., a corporation of California -Application July 12, 1939, Serial No. 284,002

Claims. (Cl. 192-17) This invention relates to clutches for heavy Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of my imduty service, my main object being to provide a proved clutch as engaged. double-cone clutch so designed that the advan- Figure 2 is a fragmentary end view showing tages of both the single cone and multiple-disc the throwoutand brake applying units. clutches are retained, while their disadvantages Figure 3 is a plan view of the cooperating are avoided. clutch and brake actuating levers in the position The ordinary cone clutch is spring loaded, the occupied when the clutch is engaged. spring being mounted in such a way that there Referring now more particularly to the h is a possibility of the parts springing or becomacters of reference on the drawings, l denotes 1o ing misalined, and also most engines are not the engine or drive shaft on which the fly wheel designed with sufiicient' thrust bearing strength 2 is mounted. Secured on the fly: wheel and exat the crankshaft to stand the thrust placed on tending rearwardly in alinement with shaft I is the shaft when the clutch is pulled out. an extension shaft 3, while projecting rearward- Another disadvantage is that a great deal of ly from shaft 3 isthe driven shaft 4, piloted at power is required to disengage the spring loaded its forward end in the rear end of shaft 3 as clutch, since the conventional compression spring at 5. has less power when the clutch is engaged and Secured on shaft 4 adjacent shaft 3 is a disc when the most holding power is required, than or spider 6 secured on which in overhanging rewhen the clutch is disengaged and such power lation to shaft 3 is a band I forming the feis not needed. male member .of the clutch and having oppo- 20 The conventional multiple-disc clutch avoids sitely facing bevel faces 8 and 9, cut at approxithe above objections, but it has more wearing mately 15 to the axis of the band. parts, and there is a tendency for the discs to A sleeve H] is splined on the rear portion 0 wear notches in the splines. This prevents the shaft 3 and is rigid with a disc or spider H exdiscs from releasing properly, and it is always a tending outwardly from its rear end, just ahead 25 problem to get the discs to run perfectly free. of disc 6. This disc carries a forwardly facing Also, the biggest problem in a multiple-disc male clutch-cone l2 cooperating with the bevelclutch is to get rid of the heat which is necessurface or seat 8 of the female member I. sarily generated with the in-and-out operation Splined on sleeve Ill intermediate its ends is of anyvclutch another disc l3 carrying a male clutch-cone I4 30 With my improved clutch the simplicity of cooperating with seat 9 of the female member. .the ordinary cone clutch is substantially main- Compression springs libetween discs l3 and II, tained, but the objectionable spring loading feaand retained in cages l6,'tend to move the discs ture is eliminated. Also, the area of the fricapart and thus disengage the clutch.

tion faces can be increased to any desired extent A collar I1 is mounted for axial adjustment 35 without a corresponding and undesirable increase on sleeve l0 ahead of disc I3, and supports opin the diameter of the clutch. posed throw-out fingers 18 which are pivoted A further object is to provide, without the adintermediate their ends on the collar as at I! dition of other than a few parts, an efiicient and at their rear ends, radially out from their clutch brake, functioning with the disengagement pivot, have cam surfaces 0 which bear against 40 of the clutch so that the speed of the driven disc l3 when the clutch is engaged.

shaft can be quickly slowed down so as to syn- A throw-out collar 20 is slidably'mounted on ehronize its speed with the next gear, when shiftthe shaft 3 ahead of sleeve l0 and supports ing gears. radial links 2| pivoted thereon and on the for- A further object of the invention is to produce ward end of fingers l8. The links are arranged asimple and inexpensive device and yet one which on the throw-out collar so that when said colwill be exceedingly effective for the purpose for lar is shifted along the shaft to its limit of movewhich it isdesigned. ment toward collar II (which it then engages) These objects I accomplish by means of such the links will be slightly beyond a dead center structure and relative arrangement of parts as position, as shown in Fig 1. 4 50 will fully appear by a perusal of the following It will therefore be seen that if the throw out specification and claims. collar is shifted forward or toward the fly wheel,

In the drawings similar characters of referfrom a clutch enga n position, the forward end ence indicate corresponding parts in the several of fingers I8 will move radially in once the links views: clear dead center, and the cam surfaces C of .clutch elements clear of the female member.

When the throw-out collar is shifted rearwardly or in a clutch engaging direction, the pressure of the fingers against the-disc l3, pressing the same rearwardly, is transmitted to the disc I! to pull the same forwardly, by reason of the connection of said fingers with the'collar l7, and of the latter with sleeve ID on which the disc II is secured. As a result, both male clutch elements engage their-cooperating seats in the female cone member with equal pressures. The movement of the links past dead center insures that the clutch elements will remain properly engaged against the resistance of the springs and without the necessity for any holding means being applied to the throw-out collar. It will be noted from Fig. 1 that the major portion of the weight of fingers I8 lies adjacent the cam edge, so that said fingers are in effect counter-weighted to compensate for any tendency to disengage the clutch by centrifugal force. The adjustment of collar I! along the sleeve H) of course provides for the necessary take-up due to wear of the clutch facing bands 22. The throw-out collar is shifted back and forth by means of a yoke 23 applied thereon ahead of the links 2|, with an annular ball bearing 24 therebetween. The yoke is provided with diametrally opposed trunnions 25 engaged by the slotted ends of arms 26 which project radially from a shaft 21 disposed parallel to the yoke to one side of the same; the arms forming the usual fork. The shaft is journaled in the clutch casing 28, and on the outside of the casing carries an operating arm 29 to which a push and pull rod 30 is applied. I g

It will therefore be seen that I have obtained a much greater area of contact, in a cone type clutch, than can be had with a conventional cone clutch of the same dimensions, and with the use of only about one-fourth as much pressure, to pull the clutch members together, than is necessary with a conventional two-disc clutch.

Non-slipping action, combined with great ease of operation, is thus obtained.

In connection with the throw-out actuating mechanism, I provide a brake for the driven shaft. This comprises a split brake band 3| dis- 'posed about the female clutch member I, which also forms a brake drum. At one end, the band is anchored on the casing 28 as at 32 and at the other end carries a radial trunnion 33. This is engaged by the slotted end of an arm 34 extending forwardly from the band substantially parallel to the shaft 3, and secured on an upstanding shaft 35 journaled in the casing parallel to and transversely spaced from shaft 21. Outwardly of the casing, this shaft carries an arm 36 projecting toward arm 29 and adapted to be engaged by a pin or bolt 31 mounted on arm 29. This pin and arm are so positioned that when arm 29 is. turned in a direction to disengage or throw out the clutch, the arm 36 and shaft 35 willbe turned by said pin in a direction to cause arm, to pull the trunnion 33 about the member 1 in a brake setting direction. The

pin 31 is threaded and adjustable in the arm 29 by'means of a head 31a thereon, so that the amount of movement of said arm obtained before any brake setting action is had, may be altered to suit.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that i have produced such a device as substantially fulfills the objects of the invention as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred construction of the device, still in practice such deviations from such detail'may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention, as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention,'what I claim as new and useful and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A cone clutch comprising, with drive and riven shafts, cooperating male and female elements on the shafts, actuating means for the elements to engage and disengage the same, and including a rotatable actuating shaft disposed at right angles to the driven shaft, the element on the driven shaft being formed as an external brake drum, a split band about the drum anchored at one end, an arm applied at one end to the free end of the band and extending substantially parallel to the axis of the drum, a shaft on which said arm is secured at its free end and disposed in spaced and parallel relation to said actuating shaft, and means between said last named shafts to rotate the arm shaft in a direction to cause the arm to pull the band into clamping relationship about the drum with rotation of the actuating shaft in a direction to disengage the clutch elements.

2. A structure as in claim 1, in which said last named means comprises an arm on the actuating shaft, an arm on the last named shaft extending to one side of said actuating shaft and a member on one of said arms in position to cause the last named arm to turn'in a brake setting direction with rotation of the actuating shaft arm in a direction to disengage the clutch elements.

3. A structure as in claim 1, in which said last named means comprises an arm on the acshafts, cooperating male and female clutch elements on the shafts, movable actuating means for the elements to engage and disengage the same, and including a rotatable shaft, a brake drum mounted in fixed relation with one clutch element, a brake member engaging the drum, means to set the member including a rotatable shaft, and means between said shafts to rotate the last named shaft in a brake setting direction with rotation of the first named shaft in a clutch disengaging direction; said last named means comprising an arm on the last named shaft, an arm on thefirst named shaft overhanging the first named arm and an element on said last named arm to engage the first named arm.

5. A structure as in claim 4,v in which said element is positioned to engage the first named arm only after a predetermined rotation of the corresponding shaft in a clutch disengaging 

